Hands That Heal Me
by Skye Coulson
Summary: So, here's an idea that I had. Skye is Tony's daughter and Bruce Banner was behind the T.A.H.I.T.I. project that brought Coulson back from the dead. So, how will Tony react to the news of the shooting involving the daughter he never knew he had. (Surprise pairing to come, later.) Please read and review.
1. I Wanna Hear Your Beating Heart

**Hands That Heal Me**

**Disclaimer:  
**As always … I own nothing.

**Rating:  
**T

**Genre:  
**Romance/Hurt/Comfort

**Pairing:  
**Skanner (Skye/Bruce)  
Any others are open for suggestions

**Lyrics Used:  
**Luke Bryan "Drink A Beer"**  
**Ellie Goulding "Beating Heart"

* * *

I Wanna Hear Your Beating Heart

* * *

_Funny how the good ones go | Too soon, but, the good Lord knows | The reasons why, I guess_

_Sometimes, the greater plan | Is kinda hard to understand | Right now, it don't make sense | I can't make it all make sense_

* * *

"Sir, what are you not telling us?" Special Agent Grant Ward demanded, following his boss and mentor on to The Bus – watching as they loaded his teammate; his _operative_ – in an EMP into the loading bay.

"We're not Skye's only family." Agent Phillip Coulson spoke in a haunting deadpan as his eyes remained glued to the young woman, before him as he answered his specialist's question.

"Whaddo you mean?" Ward questioned, curiously.

"Get the others." Phil ordered, curtly. "Meet me in the conference room." He finished, cryptically, as he wrenched his gaze away from Skye's EMP before turning on his heel to leave.

"Sir!" Leo Fitz spoke, first, as he followed their pilot – Agent Melinda May – into the conference room alongside his long-time lab partner, Agent Jemma Simmons. Turning his attention to Coulson at the head of the table, he voiced the question on his – and, quite possibly everyone's – mind. "Ward said something us not being Skye's only family?" He questioned, struggling to figure out what their mentor and friend could have meant by that. "What d'you mean?"

Sighing heavily, Phil uploaded the information from his search for Skye's parents onto the screens behind him. "Several months ago … Not long after Skye first joined this team … She confided in me her desire to find her parents." Phil began, sifting through the information to the pertinent data. "Now, it took some digging … But, I've finally managed to procure the identity of her father."

"Bloody hell." Jemma breathed, staring up at the picture of none other than Tony Stark on the screen behind her boss. "Is … that … who I think it is?!" She questioned, carefully, almost as if she didn't dare to believe it.

"Yes, Agent Simmons." Phil replied in affirmative. "Skye's father is Tony Stark. I didn't want to go to Skye with this information until I could be absolutely certain. But, my recent cross-examinations have determined that Tony Stark _is _Skye's father." Pausing a moment to allow the dust to clear after the bomb he'd just dropped, Phil spoke again. "Which is precisely why I've asked Agent May to plot a course for New York. I figured … if it were _my _long-lost daughter's life hanging in the balance … I'd wanna know."

* * *

_Wanna hear your beating heart, tonight | Before the bleeding sun comes alive | I want to make the best of what is left, hold tight | And, hear my beating heart, one last time_

* * *

"Mr. Stark." The crisp, clinical voice cut through the air as Tony Stark recognized it as a voice he never thought he'd hear again. Slowly turning toward the doorway to his workshop in the newly renovated Avengers Tower, the genius felt his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates as he watched none other than Phil Coulson walk through the door.

"Phil?" Tony breathed, still awestruck, as he slowly crossed the shop floor to meet the Lazarus agent in the middle of the room. "What … I don't … How …" Try as he might, Tony Stark – for the first time in his _life –_ was truly at a complete loss for words. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here because there are a few things you need to know." However, before Phil could say another word, he was soon cut off by the engineer's snide comment.

"Ya think?!" Tony demanded, sarcastically.

"Mr. Stark, I really don't have time to play your games." Phil barked, effectively silencing the engineer. "In fact, this is really more of a courtesy call." The senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent began cryptically. "You see … One of my new operatives happens to share a connection with you."

"Me?" Tony questioned, dumbly, still trying to figure out just where the hell Phil was going with all this.

"She's your _daughter _… Tony." Phil deadpanned, watching the realization dawning over the engineer's face as he braced himself on the workbench next to him.

"My daughter?" Tony repeated, breathlessly.

"Yes." Phil confirmed. "Her name is Skye. She was working as a hacker for The Rising Tide when I recruited her for my team. Shortly after joining, she confided in me about her search for her parents. I offered to help however I could. Only just recently did I learn that you were her father."

After pausing to process the bombshell of information that had been dropped on him, Tony finally spoke, his voice filled with wonder. "Can I see her?"

Sighing heavily, Phil dropped his gaze as he fiddled with his hands – in an uncharacteristically nervous gesture – before he spoke again. "That's another reason I came here, today, Mr. Stark." The senior agent's voice, alone, had the billionaire on edge. "Our latest mission went sideways … Skye was shot twice in the abdomen at point-blank range."

"Oh God …" Tony breathed, shakily. "But … Sh-sh-she's gonna be okay, though … Right?"

"We're doing everything we can." Phil assured his old friend, gently. "But … You should know … She's currently on life support."

"What?" Tony breathed, suddenly more terrified than he could ever recall being. "What happened to her?!"

"The shots perforated her stomach and punctured the small and large intestines." Phil began listing off the young hacker's injuries almost as if he were reading out of a medical textbook. "The trauma surgeons in Zurich said that they resected what they could but … There was too much damage."

"So … What? … You're just … _giving _**_up_**?!" Tony demanded, his fear suddenly manifesting into anger.

"Absolutely **_not_**!" Phil responded with so much passion in his voice that Tony instinctively took a step back. As shocking as the reaction was, he was glad to know that – even if he'd never been given the chance to know his daughter, yet – at least he knew she had someone looking out for her. He appreciated that.

"So, what's our next play?" The billionaire finally asked, finding his voice, again.

"I've had her transferred to an EMP pod and loaded onto our Bus … We're getting ready to take her to Bethesda." Phil replied, steadfastly keeping his voice at a calm, clinical level.

"Bethesda?" Tony questioned, curiously. "Why Bethesda?"

"That's where my file says _I _was treated after the battle of New York." Phil elaborated, simply.

"With all due respect, Phil – I see they saved _you –_ but, what makes you think they'll be able to do anything different than the surgeons in Zurich?" The engineer questioned as Phil could almost literally watch the gears turning in his head.

"Because we did a lot more than just save him." Both Phil and Tony turned to the opposite doorway when they heard the ever-familiar voice of Doctor Bruce Banner.

"Dr. Banner." Phil greeted, briefly.

"It's good to see you again, Agent Coulson." Tony watched, silently, as Bruce crossed the room to meet himself and Phil were they stood.

Shifting his gaze back and forth between the two men, Tony finally had to voice the question weighing heaviest on his mind. "What the … Am I missing something?"

"Director Fury ordered me to oversee the procedures and treatments used to bring Agent Coulson back." Bruce explained, simply.

"Wait a minute …" Tony interjected, still struggling to put the pieces together. "You brought him _back_?!"

"Yes, Mr. Stark." Phil replied, simply. "I did, in fact, die after Loki stabbed me. According to my file, my heart was perforated – torn in half."

"And, you fixed all that?" Tony asked, bewildered, staring wildly at the one man that could potentially save his daughter's life.

"Yes, we did." Bruce conceded, hesitantly, before turning to Phil. "What's going on, Agent Coulson? Why are you only digging into this, now?"

"Because my daughter's life **depends **on it, Banner!" Tony barked, earning a startled stare from the physicist.

"What?" Bruce breathed, confused. "Your _daughter_?" He questioned.

"Her name is Skye, Dr. Banner." Phil interjected, on his friend's behalf. "She works for me. Our latest mission went sideways. Skye took two GSWs in the abdomen at point-blank range. Perforated her stomach. Punctured the small and large intestines."

"Jesus, Phil …" Bruce breathed, listening to the laundry list of injuries.

"She's currently on life support and prepared for transport to Bethesda." Phil replied, getting right back to business.

"About that …" Bruce replied, looking somewhat guilty. "All the information in your file – the doctors, the treatment centers, the room numbers … they're all false."

Now, it was Phil's turn to be rendered speechless. "What?"

Sighing, Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose as he replied "Fury was concerned about the drugs and the treatments we used falling into the wrong hands. He wanted to protect you from anyone that may want to strong arm the information out of you-"

"A sociopathic venture capitalist just put two bullets into the stomach of one of my operatives!" Phil snarled. "The time for 'protecting intel' has long _passed_!"

"He's right, Banner." Tony very nearly growled. "My daughter's life is on the line! If you know something, you damn well better start talking."

Heaving a resigned sigh, Bruce crossed the workshop before pulling a thick file out of a drawer Tony'd never noticed before. "Everything you need – the correct information – to save your girl … is in this file." He finally conceded.

Eying the physicist, carefully, Phil finally accepted the file – flipping through its contents – before coming to a decision. "I think I can speak for the rest of my team when I say that we'd all feel better if you came with me. To look after Skye."

After a brief silence, Bruce finally voiced his concern. "I think we all know that you and your team are far safer the farther away I am."

"On the contrary." Tony countered. "I know _I_ – personally – would feel better if I knew you were looking after my daughter."

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**I hope y'all enjoyed this! Please read and review!

~Skye Coulson


	2. Every Storm Runs Out of Rain

**Hands that Heal Me**

**Disclaimer:  
**As always … I own nothing

**Rating:  
**T

**Genre  
**Romance/Hurt/Comfort

**Pairings:  
**Skanner (Skye/Bruce)  
Melony (Melinda May/Tony Stark)

**Lyrics Used:  
**Luke Bryan "Apologize"  
Gary Allan "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)"  
Taylor Swift "I Almost Do"  
Flint Eastwood "Can You Save Me"

* * *

Every Storm Runs Out of Rain

* * *

_I said it's too late to apologize | It's too late | It's too late to apologize | It's too late | It's too late to apologize | It's too late | I said it's too late to apologize | It's too late_

* * *

Walking onto the plane that Agent Coulson had escorted them onto, Tony watched as Phil ushered a young man – looked to be in his mid to late twenties – forward. "Agent Ward." He called, curtly.

"Agent Coulson." The young man – Agent Ward, apparently – responded, just as curtly.

"Escort Dr. Banner, here, down to the lab." Phil ordered, brandishing the new file he'd been given back at Avengers Tower. "While you're there, give this to Fitzsimmons."

"Yes, sir." Agent Ward replied, nodding sharply, as he took the file before turning to Bruce. "Dr. Banner?" He greeted, gesturing for the physicist to follow him. Unsure of what else to say or do, Bruce just nodded as he complied and followed Agent Ward down to the lab area.

Finally alone with Phil, Tony sighed as he turned to the senior agent. "Can I see her?" He asked, warily.

However, before he could respond, Phil was soon distracted by a loud ruckus coming from The Cage area. Turning to the billionaire with him, Phil watched the alarms going off in both of their heads as they both took off at a dead run toward the source of the noise.

Finally arriving at The Cage, Phil threw the door open to find his pilot, Agent Melinda May, standing over a bloodied and beaten Ian Quinn curled into the fetal position on the floor. "MAY!" Phil barked, instantly gaining the attention of the stoic pilot. "OUTSIDE! NOW!" He ordered, sharply.

Turning toward the sound of Coulson's voice, May froze when she saw none other than Tony Stark standing next to him. _Shoulda known he'd figure it out, sooner or later._ She told herself. Melinda May knew that living on a plane full of spies meant secrets never stayed secret for long. She really should have known that – sooner or later – someone would figure out that their precious hacker was the daughter of Tony Stark. And, once that got out, it was only a matter of time before they learned that _she _was her mother. Without another word, she stormed out of the door – still raging from what Ian Quinn had _done _to her daughter – shoving her way past the two men.

"Is that who I _think _it is?" Tony questioned, pointing back at bloodied man on the floor.

Closing the door to The Cage, Phil sighed as he replied "Well … That depends …" The senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent paused before continuing on. "If you think it was Ian Quinn … Then, you'd be correct." Releasing another heavy sigh, Phil added one last response. "He's also the man that shot Skye."

Eyes widening in understanding, Tony was rendered uncharacteristically speechless for a moment. "You mean _that's _the sociopathic son of a bitch that shot my _daughter_?!"

"Yes, and I'm sorry for what you just witnessed." Phil spoke, more gently, this time. "That woman that just stormed out of here … She works for me … Her name is-"

"Melinda May." Tony finished for him.

"You know her?" Phil asked, brow furrowed curiously.

"She's Skye's mother." Tony breathed, staring down the hallway where the pilot had blown through – not unlike a tornado.

_Well … I can honestly say I did _not _see that one coming … _Phil thought to himself, shell-shocked by what Tony had just told him.

* * *

_It's gonna run out of pain | It's gonna run outta steam | It's gonna leave you alone | It's gonna set you free | And, set you free_

_Every storm runs, runs out of rain | Just like every dark night turns into day | Every heartache will fade away | Just like every storm runs, runs out of rain_

* * *

"Fitzsimmons!" Ward barked, walking into the lab area with Dr. Banner in tow.

"Yes?" The two science officers responded in unison, leaving Bruce rather confused.

"Um-I'm … I'm sorry …" The physicist stammered, curiously. "Which … Which one's Fitzsimmons?"

"Oh, bloody hell!" Jemma breathed, awestruck, by the sight of one of her idols standing in her lab. "Dr. Banner!" She added, eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. "What brings you here?" She questioned, before mentally kicking herself for the unintelligent nature of her question.

"Well, I understand one of your teammates is in need of some medical assistance." Bruce explained, levelly. "I was part of the team that brought Agent Coulson back, so-"

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa_!" Fitz interjected, stopping Bruce mid-sentence. "What d'you mean 'brought Agent Coulson _back_'?!" The engineer demanded, confused.

"Agent Coulson also wanted me to give you two this." Ward interjected, passing the file Coulson'd given him over to Simmons who immediately began flipping through it. "Maybe it'll help answer some of your questions."

"Agent … Fitz?" Bruce began, hesitantly, looking at the engineer who nodded – confirming Bruce had, in fact, addressed him, correctly. "After the battle of New York, Director Fury brought me on to head up a clandestine project to bring Agent Coulson back. Now, he never explained to us _why _we were doing it. But … Now, Agent Coulson's asked for my help in saving your teammate."

"Skye." Jemma corrected. "And, yes. We could use all the help we can get."

"I'd like to take a look at her before we get started." Bruce replied, unbuttoning the cuffs of his sleeves to roll them up to his elbows. "If that's all right with you." He amended, gently.

"Of course." Jemma replied, relieved to learn that she and Fitz weren't alone in trying to keep their friend alive. "Right this way." She added, leading Bruce down the hallway to Skye's pod.

* * *

_I bet you think that I either moved on or hate you | 'Cause each time you reach out, there's no reply | I bet it never ever occurred to you that I can't say "Hello" to you | And, risk another goodbye_

_And, I just wanna tell you | It takes everything in me | Not to call you | And, I wish I could run to you | And, I hope that you know every time I don't | I almost do | I almost do_

_Oh, we made quite a mess, babe | It's probly better off, this way | And, I confess, babe | In my dreams you're touching my face | And, asking me if I wanna try again with you | And, I almost do_

* * *

Melinda May didn't need to turn around to identify her visitor in the cockpit. Sliding into the vacant seat next to the stoic pilot, Tony just stared out the windshield a moment before finally voicing the question that had been ringing through his mind from the moment he'd spotted her. "Were you _ever_ gonna tell me?" He asked, quietly. "Ever?" He repeated, turning to face her.

Remaining silent, Melinda stared straight ahead – steadfastly ignoring the butterflies in her chest that still refused to go away, even after all these years apart – before responding. "Would you have wanted me to?" She asked, focusing everything she had on keeping her voice level.

Staring at the pilot as if she'd suddenly grown a second head. "Would I have wanted you to – oh, I don't know – pick up a phone and say 'Congratulations! It's a girl!'?!" The billionaire demanded, angrily. "Yeah! I think I would have!" He snarled. "I think I at least – at _least –_ have a **right **to _know _I have a _daughter_! **_Especially _**when that daughter takes two fucking bullets to the stomach and is put on life-support!" Tony had to forcibly stop himself when he felt his chest heaving with angry breaths. He couldn't believe this woman would lie to him – hide his own daughter from him for twenty-four years. After willing himself to be calm, again, he asked – notably more quietly. "What did you do? Just dump her on the side of the road somewhere?!"

Sighing heavily, Melinda knew that it was time to come clean. "Of course not." She replied, firmly. "I used a senior agent's credentials to fake a level eight clearance. Using that clearance, I took her to St. Agnes and left her there with specific orders for them to continually shuffle her around-"

"Are you serious, right now?!" Tony snapped, cutting the pilot off. "Do you have _any _idea what that must have done to her, emotionally?!"

"She was supposed to be safe." Melinda countered, firmly. "Away from both my enemies and … God only knows who _you've _pissed off in the last twenty-four years!"

Snorting derisively, Tony turned away from the pilot as he replied "Yeah. Kept her so safe she got shot!"

"How was I supposed to know Coulson would bring her onto this team?!" May snapped, frustrated. "How should I have known that she would suddenly reappear in our lives? How the _hell _was I supposed to know any of this would happen?!"

"Does _she _know?" Tony finally demanded. "Does she know who you are – who you _really _are? What you did to her?!" Melinda's silence was all the answer the billionaire needed. "Of course not." He snorted, folding his arms crossly over his chest. Digesting the situation in his head, Tony realized he couldn't change whatever his daughter had already been through. All he could do was be there for her, now. Rising from his seat, Tony stopped at the doorway out of the cockpit as he turned back to the pilot. "For what it's worth … I _did _appreciate the number you did on Quinn."

* * *

_Can you save me | From this nothing I've become | It's just something that I've done | Never meant to show you my mistakes | Don't you blame me | For this nothing I've become | It's just something I've become | Never meant to show you my mistakes_

* * *

"She's so young." Bruce observed, examining the young woman in the bed before him.

"Twenty-four." Jemma concurred, quietly, thumbing through the he'd provided them with. "This is all quite different from the file Agent Coulson gave us." She mused.

Finishing his exam, Bruce sighed lightly as he tenderly stroked a stray lock of hair from the pale face before him. Turning to face the bio-chemist, he lightly crossed his arms as he spoke. "That was by design." He confessed.

"'By design'?" Jemma questioned, slightly alarmed.

"Director Fury was concerned about this technology and these treatments falling into the wrong hands." Bruce explained. "He wanted to protect Phil from anyone that might want to strong arm it out of him."

Snorting lightly, Jemma couldn't help finding that last comment ever-so-slightly amusing. "Have you _met _Agent Coulson?" She questioned, rhetorically.

Bruce nodded, grinning slightly. "Oh, don't get me wrong." He replied. "Believe me, I'm well aware what a pitbull Phil is." He elaborated. "But … That wasn't the only concern." Turning back to the unconscious woman in the bed, Bruce silently prayed that she wouldn't suffer the way Phil had.

"It wasn't?" Jemma questioned, quirking an eyebrow curiously.

"The transcripts you saw in Agent Coulson's original file … _Those _were accurate." Bruce conceded, heavily. "The suffering he endured was … ungodly. It was so unbearable to watch I nearly had another Harlem Incident."

"Aren't you at all concerned about that happening to Skye?" Jemma questioned, stunned.

"A little." Bruce confided in the young bio-chemist. "But, we won't be doing to her, everything that was done to Phil." He elaborated. "Skye's still alive." The physicist added, returning his gaze to the beautiful young woman before him, touching her face, tenderly. "To keep her that way, she only needs the first treatment we used on Phil."

Watching Bruce's behavior around Skye, Jemma couldn't help sensing a connection between the unlikely pair. Though, she couldn't really say that she was surprised. _They're really more alike than he realizes._ She thought to herself, before shaking her mind clear. "Which was?" She prodded, gently.

Finally pulling his gaze away from the face that had him so entranced, Bruce turned back to the bio-chemist as he replied "A drug."

"'A drug'?" Jemma repeated, curiously. "What kind of drug? And, how much? Injected where? And, what sorts of possible-"

"Agent Simmons!" Bruce interjected, sharply, lightly gripping the bio-chemist's shoulders as he snapped her out of her rant. "Calm down." Once the younger scientist had calmed herself, Bruce proceeded to answer her questions. "The drug is referred to as GH 325."

"What is it?" Jemma replied, curious and desperate for answers. "And, what does it do?"

"We can't really explain it." Bruce replied, vaguely. "All we know is that … literally within _minutes _of being injected with it, Phil's injuries started showing signs of cellular regeneration."

"That _can't _be." Jemma countered, confused. "What you're describing … It's medically _impossible_."

Shrugging slightly, Bruce knew how crazy it sounded. "Believe what you will, Agent Simmons." He offered, lamely. "But, you can't argue with results. Phil's alive because of this drug."

Jemma had to pause, at that, for a moment. She knew Bruce was right. There was no denying that Agent Coulson was – in deed – alive. "So, then … How, exactly, do we go about _finding _this … miracle drug?"

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**Well, there it is! Chapter 2! Hope you all enjoyed it! Please read and review!

~Skye Coulson


	3. I'll Fight For You

**Hands That Heal Me**

**Disclaimer:  
**As always, I own nothing.

**Rating  
**I

**Genre:  
**Romance/Hurt/Comfort

**Pairings:  
**Skanner (Skye/Bruce)  
Melony (Melinda May/Tony Stark)

**Lyrics Used:  
**Paul McDonald & Nikki Reed "All I've Ever Needed"  
Pia Mia (feat Chance the Rapper) "Fight For You"  
Rihanna "Breaking Dishes"

* * *

I'll Fight For You

* * *

_Baby, you're all | Baby, you're all | Baby, you're all I've ever needed | Baby, you're all | Baby, you're all | Baby, you're all I've ever needed  
Every promise I made | Has lead up to this day | Please, remember, my love | When you've forgotten your way  
And, this ache in my heart | Makes me want to stand tall | I let them take me down | What if this isn't my fault | Tell me it's not my fault | Tell me it's not my fault_

* * *

"How is she?" Tony asked, gently – his voice uncharacteristically quiet – as he moved to stand next to Jemma and Bruce outside of Skye's EMP pod.

"Deteriorating." Jemma breathed, unable to meet Tony's eyes. "And, I don't know how to stop it."

"You can't." Bruce conceded, turing from Jemma to Tony. "All we can do, at this point, is to pray to whatever deity may be listening that we get to the Guest House in time."

"The 'Guest House'?" Tony questioned, curiously. "What the hell are you talking about, Banner?"

Sighing heavily, Bruce removed the glasses from his face as he replied "The Guest House is an unsanctioned S.H.I.E.L.D. facility." He elaborated. "It's the facility where we brought Phil back."

"So, you're saying that their doctors will be able to save Skye?" Jemma asked, hopefully.

"Well, I can't guarantee that the doctors will actually be there. Fury's off-grid and I can't make contact with any of the doctors that assisted me in treating Phil."

"So, we're betting my daughter's life on the spin of a roulette wheel?" Tony demanded, not liking where this conversation was going.

"I'm saying that … If the doctors aren't there … As long as the drug that we need _is _there … _I _can save Skye."

"For _her _sake **and **_yours _…" Tony began, hesitantly. "I sure as hell hope you're right, Banner."

* * *

_You don't gotta fight no more | This is my war | Put down your sword | Back up, I'm strapped up | I got this, I promise | I think this is what they made back-up for | This is my score | Let me put something on the board | Your hand-me-down, handicapped, second-hand trouble that you try to juggle | You need a hand, hand me that | I'll hold the duffel, you shovel | I love you like blood do | Sea your shell scuffle and triumph | I beach your demons now wipe off your Sandy back | Shore | We fall but standing back-to-back | I can't evacuate you in this situation | Tie your shoelace I fall behind | You wait for, it's your boy | Got you forevermore | Rest your poor, bruised body and relax | WAR_

* * *

"The Guest House is _not _a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility." Phil warned his operatives as they prepared themselves for entry into the unsanctioned facility. "We don't know _who _or _what's _in there. Be prepared for potential resistance."

"No contact from inside?" Tony asked, preparing bracelets and the Iron Man suit.

"I've tried every known channel." Melinda May replied. "No response."

"Place could be abandoned." Grant Ward offered.

"Let's hope not." Phil countered. "We need the people inside to work on Skye."

"Simmons is prepping Skye to move at a moment's notice, sir." Fitz injected, joining the group upon emerging from the lab area into the cargo area.

"Banner can help with that." Tony offered, ready to get what they needed and save his little girl.

"Good." Phil replied, somewhat relieved. "We do our jobs, right, this will all go peacefully."

"What if they don't wanna help us?" Ward asked, unsure of whether or not he'd like the answers.

"I'll say 'pretty please'." Tony replied, a murderous glare in his eyes that terrified even Coulson.

"We need the doctors _alive _… and the place _intact_." Phil reminded him, knowing full-well what the full potential of Stark's wrath could bring. Turning to Fitz, he added "If it _does _go sideways, Fitz, I need you down there to determine what Simmons and Banner can use to save Skye." Watching the engineer nod his understanding, Phil finished with "And, then, we take it. … Let's move."

Hearing the shrill bell ring through the air, one of the Guest House guards observed "Company."

"Nothin's scheduled for a couple of _weeks _…" The other guard countered, immediately on alert. "Try the protocol." He suggested.

"How was the drive from Istanbul?" The first guard asked, over the PA system.

"Countersign." Phil observed.

"No clue." Tony replied.

"Never heard it." Ward offered.

"I can't find it in any of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protocol directives." Fitz added, frantically searching the files on his tablet.

"This is Agent Coulson with S.H.I.E.L.D." Phil responded, going for broke with nothing left to lose. "We don't know the counter, but, we have a team member in dire need of medical assistance. We know she can be treated here. Open the doors, maybe we can work something out. Do you copy?"

"How was the drive from Istanbul?" The guard repeated.

"We're looking for medical assistance." Phil tried, again, slowly losing hope. "A person's _life _is at stake. Will you help us?" He tried, desperately.

"How was the drive from Istanbul?" The same question continued to repeat.

"'Pretty please' it is." Tony decided, face set in a murderous glare as he blasted the security camera while Fitz set to work dismantling the control on the door.

* * *

"These guys are good." The second guard observed, suiting up for whatever their intruders had planned. "Hacked their way in."

"Well, they _did _have Iron Man with them." The first guard offered. "What _I _wanna know is … How the hell'd they _find _this place?!"

"Doesn't matter." His partner countered. "Didn't know the countersign." Cocking his rifled, he added "You want left or right?"

"Left's good." The first guard replied.

* * *

"There's … an anti-chamber … and a set of glass doors." Fitz announced, surveying the scene through his camera as the elevator doors opened. "Can't see much beyond that. Lights are all out."

"Well … They know we're here." Phil replied, cocking the gun in his hands. "Let's go say 'hello'."

Ward was the first to drop through the roof of the elevator, covering the rest of with his rifle. "CLEAR!" He called up to the rest of his team. Tony dropped down, next, with a loud, metallic, thud as his boots hit the floor before he moved to stand next to Ward at the front of the elevator. Behind them, Coulson dropped down, next – moving behind Ward.

"Okay, Simmons, we're going in, now." Fitz called over his comm. Receiving no response, he tried again. "Simmons?" Still receiving no response, Fitz finally resigned himself to the truth. "Damn it." He cursed, quietly, finally dropping through the opening into the elevator below. "Comms are down." He announced, turning to Coulson. "There's too much mountain on top of us."

"Trust me, it's better." Tony replied, repulsors drawn. "You don't want them hearing the horrible death we're walking into." He added, resorting to his best-known defense mechanism – humor. After the tense pause told him that his joke had fallen flat. Turning back to face the Scotsman, Tony added "Humor, kid! You Britts are too serious!" He chided. "Besides … If the job were easy-"

"It wouldn't be any fun." Ward finished, grinning slightly.

"I'm not afraid." Fitz countered, moving to the front of the charge – earning himself a proud glance from Coulson as he did so. "Not yet, anyway. I suspect the real danger won't come until after we breach that bulletproof glass." He added, pointing to the glass door before them. Noting another door behind them, he added "Probably a staircase back to the surface."

As they approached the doors – Coulson, Stark, and Ward covering Fitz with their weapons – Phil turned to Leo. "Whaddaya think, Fitz? Can ya get us inside?"

"To a certain horrible death?" Leo asked, cockily. "Absolutely." After prying open the case on the control panel on the doorway and connecting necessary cables, Leo crouched down and turned to Phil. "Just say the word, sir."

"Once we get inside, everyone find cover." Phil ordered, glancing around the small team. "All right, gentlemen, here we go." He ordered, nodding to Fitz to open the door.

Stark and Ward stormed in, first, with Coulson behind. As Coulson crouched behind a desk between the two men, Fitz – once again – brought up the rear as the door oh-so-slowly slide closed behind him. The moment the door closed, the two guards – hidden in the shadows – opened fire on the team. During a break in the gunfire, Coulson called out from his hiding space. "We came here for medical assistance. But, if you continue firing at us, we will defend ours-"

Another round of gunfire errupted – cutting Coulson off, midsentence. _All right, that's it!_ Tony thought to himself as he rose from the shadows – helmet sliding into place – and opened fire on the guards. "I count two hostiles!" Ward declared.

"Ya think?!" Tony interjected, continuing to cover his team.

"You got one a those little flash-things?" Coulson asked, turning to Fitz.

"Yeah." The engineer replied, digging through his pocket for the aforementioned device.

Accepting the device, Coulson activated the disc before calling out to his specialist. "Ward!" Tossing the disc into the air, Coulson and his team turned away as the flash blinded their opponents.

As the first guard fell, Tony called it out. "CLEAR!"

"See if you can get some lights on." Phil ordered, directing the order to Fitz.

Clearing the path for the rest of the team, Ward called out to the rest of the team. "CLEAR!" Noting the blood on the floor, he added "We're not done. This one's been hit. Shouldn't be too hard to find."

* * *

Following the trail of blood, Ward and Coulson found the remaining guard slumped against the wall. As Ward kicked his weapon away, with his foot, Coulson fished the set of keys out of the guard's pocket. "We're gonna get you medical help." He assured the guard, showing he meant no harm. "Is there anyone else down here? Where are the doctors?"

"Med staff doesn't stay here." The guard responded, his gaze clouded.

"We're looking for a drug." Coulson replied. "GH 325. It might help you, too."

"Do I … kn-know you?" The guard asked, confused.

"I dunno." Coulson admitted. "I … I mighta spent some time here, a while back …"

"You know about … the timer …" The guard responded, his speech slowed.

_"WE GOT A PROBLEM!"_ Tony's voice rang through the air from the area where they'd all entered.

Turning back to face the guard, Coulson saw he was already dead. Returning to the entrance area with Ward, he listened as Tony described the various explosives around the room. "Syntax." He announced. "The whole place is rigged to blow."

* * *

"There's enough explosives to bring the whole mountain down on top of us." Fitz added.

"Sir." Ward interjected, holding up the timer for Coulson's inspection. "Less than ten minutes." As Coulson examined the timer, Ward added "It's probably a failsafe." He surmised. "If the guards had eliminated us, they'd have stopped the timer."

"Since they didn't …" Coulson trailed off, letting the thought hang in the air.

"There's an emergency override." Fitz interjected. "Skye could probably hack it, but, I can't access the control panel. We're trapped in here."

"Ward." Coulson barked. "You diffuse nuclear bombs. Stark. You're an eccentric genius." He added, turning to the iron-clad billionaire. "Figure out a way to get us outta here." He ordered. "Let's go find the drug." He added, turning to Fitz.

* * *

"It's tough when it's your team." Bruce observed, joining Jemma outside of the window to Skye's pod. "Do you guys go back a ways?" He asked, curiously.

"Not really." Jemma conceded, staring at the lifeless woman in the bed. "A few months. We've nothing in common. Couldn't be more different."

Watching the machines carrying out life-sustaining functions for Skye, Bruce made another observation. "But, you couldn't imagine your life without her." Though, that comment was more for his own benefit than the bio-chemist's. Strange as it sounded – even though he hadn't officially met each other, yet – he couldn't imagine a life without Skye in it.

"Yes." Jemma breathed, stunned by how well Bruce seemed to express everything she was thinking. "You've experienced that, Dr. Banner?" She wondered, aloud.

"I have." Bruce breathed, never taking his eyes off of Skye. "Sometimes a person takes you by surprise."

"Yeah." Jemma breathed, smiling at the way that Bruce watched over the young hacker.

"She's very lucky to have you." Bruce observed. "I know if anything bad ever happens to me … I hope you're in my corner." He added, offering the bio-chemist a small smile.

"Comms are down." Melinda May interjected, urgently, earning the attention of both scientists. "If I don't hear _anything _within the hour, I'm going after them." She added.

Bruce and Jemma both nodded their agreement. However, before either of them could say or do anything further, alarms began to sound from inside the pod as Skye began to convulse. "Skye's coding! Both of you! Now!" Jemma barked, storming into the pod.

"How can we help?!" May demanded.

"I need a unit of epi!" Jemma barked, beginning chest compressions.

Already one step ahead of the bio-chemist, Bruce prepared the syringe as he replied "Got it." before injecting the required medication into the hacker's thigh.

* * *

"Timer doesn't control the explosion!" Ward called out, examining the device in his hands. "It's just a clock. Detonator must be somewhere else."

"It's not in here, I'd have found it." Tony argued. Glancing around the room, he added "There's no time to search the whole compound. Maybe we can take some Syntax, use it on the doors."

* * *

"We should put suits on before going in there." Fitz breathed, noting blatant BIOHAZARD warning sign on the window.

"You're right." Phil agreed, entering the room, anyway. "But, there's no time."

"Wish I could speak to Simmons." Fitz observed as he helped Coulson search through the various instruments throughout the room. "She'd know what most of this stuff is." With an uneasy feeling steadily growing in the pit of his stomach, he added "Or at least … Which stuff not to touch."

Shuffling through jars of various mystery liquids and tools and syringes, the two agents quickly made their way across the room. Finally, Phil spotted a locked cabinet in a darkened corner of the room. "Fitz!" He called, pointing to the cabinet.

Finally finding the light switch for the interior of the cabinet, Fitz visually scanned its contents. "I don't see any GH." Finding another light switch, he finally spotted what they'd been looking for. "Agent Coulson." He called, gaining the senior agent's attention. "It's locked."

"Here." Phil replied, passing the science officer a pair of black gloves. "Put these on." He ordered, as he shuffled through the ring of keys he'd stolen from the guard. "Oh. Got it." He muttered, under his breath, as he lock finally slid open.

"Time to go!" Ward announced, storming into the lab behind Coulson. "Couldn't stop it." He added, breathless from the run. "Four minutes and counting."

"Almost there." Fitz argued, raising the lid on the bio-hazard container, exposing the vials of GH 325.

"The Syntax are in here as well." Ward observed, glancing around the room.

"This is it." Fitz declared. "325." He added, withdrawing the vial from the container. "This is what we want." He declared, holding the vial up for Ward and Coulson.

"We gotta go. Get it up to to Simmons." Coulson ordered, ushering the science officer out of the lab.

"Sir." Wad called, impatiently, pushing Fitz through the door.

"I'll be right behind you." Coulson replied, staring at the door straight ahead of him. "Go!" He ordered, waving his hand behind him for Ward to take his leave.

Moving cases and boxes aside, Coulson revealed the sign on the door in front of him. _T.A.H.I.T.I._ Taking in the sight before him, Phil knew this could be his best chance at the answers he'd been searching for. Realizing there was no going back, now, he turned the wheel on the door as the latch finally slid open.

* * *

"Three minutes!" Ward called, as Tony and Fitz set into place the finishing touches.

"Ever work much with munitions, Agent Fitz?" Tony asked, jovially. "Explosives are a fascinating specialty." He added, smirking at the science officer's trepidation. "Very exacting." The genius added, fixing more explosives into place. "Too strong of a concussion … Bury us like fossils for a thousand years." Fixing the last of the explosives into place, Tony ushered Fitz around the corner to safety as he called out to the specialist. "Agent Ward!" As he wrapped himself around Agent Fitz – shielding him from the impending blast with the armor – and the two men covered their ears, he added "You do the honors."

"Thought you'd never ask." Ward responded, grinning mischievously, as he cocked his gun. Joining the billionaire and the engineer behind the corner, Ward reached around and fired a single shot at the explosives on the floor, blasting the door to pieces. As the dust settled, the three men approached the door – Ward and Stark prying the shattered doors open. "Can you slip through?" Ward asked.

"Yeah." Fitz replied, slipping through small opening.

"Go!" Tony barked. "Get that drug up there!" _And, save my little girl._ He thought to himself, silently, as he watched Fitz take off at a dead run toward the surface.

"Coulson!" Ward interjected.

"Where the hell is he?!" Tony barked. "PHIL!" Tony bellowed, hoping the senior agent would show up. "Go with Fitz!" The iron-clad billionaire barked. "Make sure that drug gets to my little girl!" He added, taking off after Coulson.

"Mr. Stark!" Ward called after him.

"GO!" Tony barked, disappearing down the darkened hallway. "SAVE MY DAUGHTER!"

* * *

"Weak, erratic, heartrate … Each time we save her, I ask myself … Is this what Skye would want?" Jemma sighed, torn by her moral dilemma.

"We didn't _come _this far to _quit_ …" May insisted, hating the helpless feeling she hadn't been able to shake since the moment she'd seen Phil cradling her daughter's lifeless body against his chest.

Finally, before anyone else could say or do anything further, the comms flickered to life. "They're alive!" Jemma declared, hopefully. "Maybe we can-" But, before she could finish the thought, Skye began to convulse once more, as she resumed chest compressions.

"Fitz! Come in! What's your status?!" May barked over the comms.

* * *

"PHIL!" Tony shouted, looking for the senior agent. "Phil, what the hell?!" He demanded, finally locating the agent. "Don't start slowing down! It's about to get _really _warm in here." He warned, freezing when he saw Phil's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Something was very seriously wrong and it did not sit well with Tony. "Hey! You with me?! The guys are out, already. They took the drug up to Skye-"

"No!" Phil interjected, frantically, grabbing Tony by the arms. "Don't give it to her!" He insisted, his countenance panic-stricken. "The drug?! They can't give it to her!"

_Has he lost his damn mind?! _Tony thought to himself, listening to Phil insisting that they couldn't give his daughter the very drug which promised to save her life. Deciding now was not the time to argue with him, Tony replied "Come on! Tell them, yourself! Right now, we just gotta get off this mountain and off the ground! Let's go!" He demanded, ushering Phil back down the hallway to the entrance area.

* * *

"We found it." Fitz announced, racing into Skye's pod once he was safely on The Bus. However, he froze – on the spot – when he saw the panic in Jemma's eyes as she continued the chest compressions on Skye as he held the vial out to her.

"What is it?!" Jemma demanded, never ceasing her actions. "And, how much?! Injected where?!"

"Give me that!" Bruce interjected, snatching the vial from Fitz and preparing the necessary dose in the syringe.

"May!" Ward barked over the comms as he stared at the scene playing out before him. "Get us off the ground or it is going to fall out from under us!" Heeding the specialist's orders, May prepared the plane's engines for take-off.

Racing through the underground lab, Tony and Phil scarcely managed to slip through the shattered door Ward had blown apart, earlier, and climbed the stairs to the surface as The Bus's engines roared to life.

Time seemed to slow down as Phil and Tony raced toward the open cargo bay, leaping for the platform just as the cargo door began to raise and a lound _BANG _sounded as a cloud of smoke billowed forth from the mountain as the series of explosives detonated.

"NO!" Phil shouted, racing into Skye's pod. "Don't give it to her!" He screamed, panicked, as he watched Bruce extract the needle from Skye's arm, turning to him with a remorseful stare.

"I was losing her, anyway, what harm could it do?" Jemma asked, helplessly.

Watching Skye's vitals on the monitors, the entire group waited on bated breath for her reaction to the medication. "Come on, Skye." Bruce breathed, completely unaware of his hand closing around her own.

Melinda had emerged from the cockpit and returned to the pod, pushing her way through the group until her eyes landed on her daughter. Staring at the young hacker in the bed, May could scarcely breathe as she watched her little girl fighting for her life.

Finally, the monitor's stabilized as the entire group breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief. "It's working." Tony breathed, relieved, as he watched his daughter in the bed.

However, that relief would be short-lived as they all watched – horrified – as Skye gasped for air as he entire body arched off of the bed. "She's spiking!" May cried out.

Helpless, Bruce only stroked the young girl's hair – in what he hoped was a comforting manner – as she rode out the reaction to the drug. "Stop it!" Ward cried. "How can we stop it?! Skye!"

Jemma could only cry, helplessly, as she watched her friend fighting for her life. _I thought the drug was supposed to __**save **__her!_ She wondered, in a futile attempt to understand the situation.

"What's happening?!" Phil demanded, quietly.

"I don't know." Jemma cried, quietly.

"Skye!" Tony cried, helpless to save his daughter.

"Do something!" Fitz cried, from somewhere in the back. "We have to do something!"

Finally, Bruce had intervene. Leaning over, he whispered into her ear. "Come on, Skye. Don't fight it. Just relax. It's just trying to help you. We're _all _just trying to help you. Your parents are even here. Your mother and father are here – right here with you." He whispered, continuing to stroke her hair while his free hand clutched – desperately – to her lifeless one. "Your mom and dad are here! They wanna meet you – get to know you! But, they can't do that if you don't relax and let the drug do its job. Come on, honey … They need you … I need you."

The next thing any of them knew, Skye's body fell back against the body – completely lax – as they all stared at the monitors. "Her heartbeat …" Jemma breathed, in awe. "She's stabilizing."

_That's my girl._ Bruce thought, relieved, as he continued stroking her hair, gently.

"Simmons?" Phil asked, quietly, terrified that speaking too loudly would shatter the illusion that everything would be okay. The bio-chemist, however, simply nodded in confirmation.

"Can someone tell me what we just saw?" Ward questioned, snapping his head from side-to-side as he glanced from Simmons and Bruce to Phil and back.

"She's a fighter." Bruce breathed, still unable to remove the relieved smile from his face.

"What was that drug you just gave her?" Jemma asked, carefully, turning to look at Bruce.

"I don't know." Bruce replied, honestly. He may have known the drug's name and what it was capable of. But, he didn't care to know anything further about it. "All I know is that it works."

"You're a real miracle-worker." Jemma breathed, smiling slightly as she watched the tenderness on Bruce's face as he stared down at Skye.

"You did it." Melinda spoke, quietly, looking between Phil and Tony and with a grateful smile. Suddenly, Phil – however – decided to take his leave. "Something happen, down there?" Melinda asked, carefully, glancing up at Tony.

"I'm not sure." The billionaire conceded. One look in his eyes spoke volumes of his sincerity to the pilot. "One minute, he was fine, the next minute, it was like he'd seen a ghost."

* * *

_I don't know who you think I am | I don't know who you think I am | I don't know who you think I am | I don't know who you think I am_

_Now, I ain't trippin' (huh) | I ain't twisted (huh) | I am demented (ha) | But, just a little bit | I'm kickin'- | I'm takin' names_

_I'm breakin' dishes up in here | All night (uh huh) | I ain't gonna stop until I see police lights (uh huh) | I'm a fight a man | Yeah, I'm a fight a man | I'm a fight a man | A man | A ma-a-a-a-an | A man, a man | A ma-a-a-a-a-an | Oh_

* * *

Watching the door to The Cage open, Ian Quinn looked up at the one and only Tony Stark with a grin. "Well, now, this really is an-" However, he was never afforded the opportunity to finish the thought as the billionaire's surprisingly solid fist collided directly with his face. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, the venture capitalist demanded "What the hell?!"

"_That_ …" Tony snarled, leaning on the table to get less than an inch in front of Quinn's bloodied face. " … was for my _daughter_ you worthless sack a shit."

"Your _daughter_?" Quinn questioned, cockily. "I can assure you I don't know anything about your _daughter …_"

That snide come-back earned Quinn a sharp back-handed slap across the face – effectively throwing him out of his seat – as a black leather boot collided with his chest. Crouching down over the beaten man, Tony grabbed a fistful of the man's shirt collar as he dragged him up, off the floor. "Lemme spell it out for ya, jackass … That girl you so kindly put two bullets in … Skye … She's my daughter!"

In that moment, May couldn't deny that she very much enjoyed the deer-in-the-headlights expression on Quinn's face. "Are you just gonna stand there?!" Quinn demanded, glancing over to May for assistance. Assistance which would never come. "You can't just let him treat me like this!"

"Why not?!" May replied, her voice deceptively calm. "Because you're defenseless?!" She snarled. "Like _she _was?" The growl in May's voice was beginning to grow as she crouched down, over his bloodied form. "Mr. Stark may be Skye's father …" She began, tauntingly. "But, what he didn't tell you … Is that _I'm _her _mother _…"

_Well, I'm fucked … _Quinn knew he was doomed as Tony and Melinda hovered over him. "There's still gotta be some rule or something-" That thought was cut off as two boots collided – one with his back, the other with his chest, as he coughed up another mouthful of blood.

* * *

_And, this ache in my heart | Makes me want to stand tall | I let them take me down | What if this isn't my fault | Tell me it's not my fault | Tell me it's not my fault_

* * *

"Do you mind?" Melinda May asked, quietly, before entering her boss, Phil Coulson's, office. "You did the impossible today." She added, before leaning forward on the desk. "You saved Skye's life. … You _saved _my little girl … Why aren't you happy about it?" After Phil remained silent, she slid down into the seat in front of the desk, sighing lightly. "They told me that … You were screaming … _Not _to use the drug …" She confessed. "To not use it on Skye. Why?" She demanded. "What made you change your mind?"

Taking in the pilot's question, Phil thought back to what he'd seen in the lab. _Walking through the door, he clicked the lamp on. Crossing the room, he found a table with vials – each labeled with a different numbered GH number … GH 211 … GH 324 … Even more vials of the GH 325 they'd been after. Upon further examination, he realized that the vials were all connected to tubes. Following the tubes, he watched them disappear into what looked like a vault. The vault was simply labeled 'G.H.'. In search for answers, he pressed the red button – opening the sealed door – as a giant cylinder, filled with water slid toward him. Inside the cylinder was half of a blue corpse. The tubes from the vials on the table all disappeared into the corpse. Staring at the corpse before him, Phil couldn't help wondering what the drug used on him would do to him. What it might do to Skye if used on her. "Phil?" Phil almost didn't even hear the stoic pilot calling his name._

"Phil." Melinda tried, once again, to gain her boss and friend's attention. "You all right?" She asked, once she saw that he'd snapped back to reality.

"Being down there…" Phil began, quietly. "…Seeing … where I came from … I just got really scared that she would suffer. The way that I did." He conceded, softly. "But, she didn't." He finally added, somewhat relieved. "For whatever reason … she didn't."

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**Please enjoy this little installment. Read and review!

~Skye Coulson


End file.
